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Set Yourself on Fire
yeah boi,,, canon divergent non-despair AU, no major warnings (though smoking is a prominent theme) mukuro/sayaka with minor background relationships The Blurb “The cigarettes you light one after another won’t help you forget her," Sayaka said softly. Mukuro scowled, "I'm really not in the mood for Frank Sinatra quotes, thanks." --- Checking her sister into a psychiatric hospital was one of Mukuro's wiser decisions, but it's one that she's come to regret. Her past is something that she clings desperately to, despite the darkness of it. Even with her friends to support her, Mukuro doesn't feel comfortable letting go of Junko, or the past they shared. Chapter One Visiting day. It was simultaneously Mukuro’s favourite and least favourite day of the month. She both dreaded the arrival of the fifteenth, and she awaited it with anticipation. This September was no different than any other month. And just like any other month, Mukuro dragged herself downtown to the ward on Karasuma street. As she filled out the form, she glanced idly around the waiting room. A redhead with her hands pressed together sat in the corner, her shoulders hunched. A blonde boy and a silver haired girl sat close together on the other side of the room, occasionally whispering to each other. Mukuro bit her lip, and then quickly went back to the form. She still had one last question to fill, how long would she be here today? To be safe, she filled in the ‘two hours’ bubble, and returned the form to the lavender haired woman behind the protective glass. The woman examined Mukuro’s form carefully, then nodded, and produced a plastic visitor’s tag. Mukuro fastened it to her shirt. The woman pointed a gloved hand, “Please take a seat. A guard will be with you shortly.” “Thank you,” Mukuro said, and walked into the sitting area. The yellow plastic chair was as uncomfortable as ever, but she resigned herself to it. She wouldn’t have to wait very long. The large doors opened, and a guard appeared, “Koizumi! Koizumi Mahiru!” Mukuro winced. There were only two guards that worked with the visitors, a strict, rules oriented guard, who often yelled at the visitors, and a taller, gruff guard, who wasn’t particularly sociable, but he was sympathetic. Today, it was the strict guard. The redheaded girl scrambled to her feet, and shuffled towards the doors, which slammed shut behind the two with a tremendous noise. No matter how many times she convinced herself that this was different, it still felt like she was visiting a prison. Mukuro had only done that a few times, and it was when she was much younger, but the atmosphere felt the same. She sat in silence, rubbing her fingers over the hem of her shirt, until the guard came back, calling out, “Ikusaba! Ikusaba Mukuro!” Mukuro stood up, and walked towards the guard, hoping not to trip on the uneven concrete floor again. She followed the guard through a narrow set of hallways, until they came to a small room. The guard swiped a keycard across a mechanism on the wall, and the door clicked open. “In you go,” the guard said. Mukuro nodded, and stepped inside the brightly lit room. There wasn’t much in the room besides an ugly yellow table, and two identically ugly yellow chairs. Mukuro settled herself down, and drummed her fingers on the table. The sound of the clock on the wall ticking, coupled with her fingers, was the only noise in the room, until a door on the far wall slid open. First came out the other guard, and then the person that Mukuro had waited so long to see. “Sis!” Mukuro nearly fell to the floor. Junko had thrown herself at her, and knocked the wind out of her. “I missed you so much!” Junko cried, holding Mukuro in a tight hug. Mukuro smiled, “I missed you too.” “Oi, Enoshima, you’re crushing her.” Junko released her hold on Mukuro, and sat down on the other side of the table, while Mukuro carefully regained her balance. Her sister looked different every time Mukuro saw her, but this time, Junko looked more like she had when she’d first arrived in the ward. Last month, her roots were turning back to their natural red, but she was all blonde again. “They let you have hair dye in here?” Mukuro asked. Junko giggled, “Reward for good behavior. Oowada snuck it in for me, since I’m his favourite.” “You’re not my favourite,” the guard - Oowada - grumbled, “And don’t go blabbin’, if Ishimaru finds out, I’m fuckin’ dead.” “Won’t say a word to him, cross my heart!” Junko cried. Mukuro rolled her eyes. Junko focused back on Mukuro, “It’s so good to see you! You look so different, oh my gosh!” Mukuro didn’t think she looked particularly different, but she supposed it was because she saw her reflection every day. “Do I really?” she said softly, “Tell me, Junko-chan. Is everything alright here? Are you doing okay?” Junko nodded, “Yeah, actually! I don’t have to wear restraints out of my room anymore, and I actually made a friend!” Mukuro smiled, “I’m so glad.” She’d been worried that Junko wouldn’t be able to connect with anyone else, so it was a weight off her shoulders. “Who are they?” “His name is Izuru Kamukura,” Junko said, “He’s really aloof most of the time, but he’s fun to be around, and I get to braid his hair when he’s in a good mood!” Well, it’s better than last month when her only friend was the guard she has a crush on. Junko said, “Okay, but what about you, Muku-chan? Last month, you told me you were looking for flatmates, cause you couldn’t make rent on your own. Any luck?” She remembered… Mukuro nodded, “Yes, I have two now, Ryouko Otonashi and Sayaka Maizono.” “How’d you meet ‘em, huh?” Junko asked. “Well, Otonashi-san heard from a friend,” Mukuro said, “And Maizono-san…” Mukuro bit the inside of her cheek, remembering how she’d met Sayaka. It had not been her finest hour. - At least the only one there to see her have a mental breakdown was the cat. Mukuro had been crying in the city park for about ten minutes now, still in agony over her own decision. “What kind of a sister am I?!” Mukuro cried, burying her head in her hands, “Junko-chan must secretly hate me for this, I'm sure of it.” “Meow?” Mukuro turned to the cat sitting on the bench next to her, “Oh, just shut up! You have no idea what this is like, have you ever betrayed your own family?” The cat gave her an indignant glare, but head butted her arm, and nuzzled its way into her lap. Mukuro rolled her eyes, “You have it so easy, you know? All you have to do is look cute, and someone will take pity on you. I've been through so much shit, and nobody even looks at me twice, unless they need something.” The cat made a disgruntled noise. Mukuro said, “Yeah, I'm sure. Listen, all you have to do is beg, and you get more food than you could ever ask for. You've never been in my situation, have you?” The cat suddenly leapt off her lap with a mild hiss. Mukuro frowned, “What did I do to you? I'm sorry that I'm not offering unending sympathy, but I'm going through a lot right now, and nobody will listen to me! Why can't you just listen to me for a minute or two?!” “Um. Excuse me, are you arguing with my cat?” Mukuro looked up in shock, to see a woman with blue hair and and eyes looking over her. “I'm sorry,” Mukuro said, coiling in on herself, “I've had a really long day.” The woman huffed, and sat down on the bench, “Tell me about it. I'm getting evicted by my old roommate in two days, and there's nothing I can do about it.” Mukuro said, “That sucks. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?” “Apparently my cat pisses off her cat,” she said, “Let me tell you, Grand Bois-Cheri Ludenberg is the most spoiled, and quite possibly the nastiest cat I've ever met.” That's a mouthful of a name. The woman added, “What happened to you? What made you so distressed that you got into an argument with my idiot cat?” Mukuro laughed nervously, and threw her head back, “I just visited my sister in the psychiatric hospital. It doesn't look like she's getting better any time soon, and one of her doctors said she was refusing treatment.” “Oh, that's awful!” Mukuro shrugged, “It is what it is.” They sat in silence for a moment, before Mukuro said, “Hey, did you find a new roommate yet?” “No,” the woman admitted, “I was going to stay with my friend from high school, but she's overseas. Why?” Mukuro smiled shyly, “I'm looking for one at the moment.” The woman’s eyes widened, “And you- Really?” “Really,” Mukuro said, “I'm Mukuro Ikusaba, it's a pleasure.” “Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you!” - Junko tapped Mukuro on the shoulder, “Sis? Sis!” “Huh?” Junko said, “You spaced out for a sec. Everything okay? You were gonna tell me how you met Maizono-san…” Mukuro swallowed, “Craigslist.” Junko raised an eyebrow, then said, “Huh, okay. I figured it would be a little more interesting than that.” Oh, there is no way in hell that I'm telling her about the argument that I had with Maizono-san’s cat. Mukuro grinned nervously, “Nah. Tell me more about what you’ve been up to. Any luck with that guard?” Junko’s eyes lit up, “I thought you’d never ask!” - The two hours passed far too quickly for Mukuro’s liking. When Oowada cleared his throat, she nearly jumped. “Yer allotted time is over,” he said. Mukuro slowly got to her feet, while Junko scrambled to her’s. She hugged Mukuro tightly one last time, before Oowada tugged her away. Mukuro stepped out through the other door. The other guard was waiting for her, his hands folded neatly behind his back. “I'll escort you back now,” he said. Mukuro nodded, then said, “Excuse me, but is she getting any better? Is there any hope for a discharge?” The guard responded, “I'm afraid that information happens to be classified. If you make an appointment with the patient’s doctor, you may be able to receive a satisfactory answer.” Well, that's about what I expected. Mukuro replied, “Alright. Thank you.” She followed him through the hallways, and back into the waiting room. It was empty now, and Mukuro stood there for a moment and sighed. After a moment of feeling sorry for herself, Mukuro turned her visitor’s pin in, then fled the building. “See you next month, Junko-chan,” Mukuro murmured as she left. Category:Brighty's Stuff Category:Fanfictions Category:Dangan Ronpa Category:Non-Warriors Category:Non-Ace Attorney Category:Mukusaya